Sponsored Post: Designing a Website for Startups

Deciding to start a new business venture is an incredibly exciting time; one which is filled with important choices and decisions needing to be made. Once the preliminary decisions have been made, one of the next things that you should take into consideration is your new business’ website.

In today’s digital environment, a website is a must for any business, but it is an especially important tool for entrepreneurs trying to get off the ground and spread the word about their new start-up. The website is often the first point of contact many potential customers will have with a business, so it is vital to get it right. An eye-catching, engaging and useful website can work wonders for a start-up – the better the website, the more likely people are to trust your brand, turning traffic into conversions.

Great web design is the key to a successful website, but a lot of people underestimate the amount of work, time, effort and resources which go into the creation of the best websites. To help you out, here are some helpful hints for web design, website optimisation, and a few digital marketing tips and tricks to support your start-up and make sure you are hitting the ground running.

Which Platform is best?

The platform is one of the first things that you should be thinking about when planning a strategy for your web design project. Enlisting the assistance of a digital design agency can be a great solution if you could do with a helping hand – web design can easily get complicated, leaving you struggling with all the technical ins and outs of the task at hand.

However, even if you are intending to employ the additional support of an expert, there are still a number of things which you personally need to decide upon and keep in mind. After all, it is your start-up, so you should always ensure that you are in charge and well aware of what is going on regarding every aspect of your business venture.

One of these things is the platform upon which your website will be hosted. WordPress-based sites are one of the simplest options, as they are relatively easy to design and maintain. There is also the opportunity to use pre-existing design templates on WordPress sites, which can really help when it comes to taking the pressure off the design process.

Alternatively, custom sites require a lot more effort in terms of creation, design and upkeep, but they also offer complete creative freedom with web design, allowing for a unique edge. At the end of the day, the choice about which platform you choose is totally up to you – all the different options come with their own set of benefits and drawbacks, so there is no perfect ‘one size fits all’ solution.

Brand Identity

Brand identity is a vital part of marketing a business, also extending into the realm of web design. Your start-up’s individual identity should encompass each and every unique aspect of your brand, right through from the layout of the website to the logo to the way that you present yourself on social media.

Therefore, it is essential that you begin your new business venture with a clear idea of the ideal brand identity you wish to portray in your mind. Beginning with a strong plan right from the outset can really help you to stay on track and keep you focused as you undertake the process of building your brand.

The easiest way to ensure a cohesive brand identity is to make sure that all of these separate aspects are tied in together as much as possible. Whether this is through deciding on a web design theme which can then be rolled out across your start-up’s corresponding social media channels or ensuring your website content is written in a particular tone of voice which you feel reflects the manner of your business, brand identity is a key factor to bear in mind.

Digital Marketing: The Next Step

Once your brand new website is all up and running, ready to go, the logical next step is digital marketing. Since you have put so much effort into your site, it makes sense that you will want to spread the word about it and get as many people as possible visiting your website. There are many different methods of digital marketing, so it is worth doing some research and deciding on the specific aspects that you want to target at first.

Social media is a great place to start, especially as there aren’t any initial costs associated with setting up social media accounts. Similarly, social media is useful for interlinking with your website and sharing any news updates or blog posts if applicable – perfect for working to increase your brand’s online visibility.

Designing a website and starting to direct increased volumes of traffic to your site is absolutely essential for boosting business and ensuring the efficiency of your start-up venture. So be sure to follow our top tips and get yourself a website that you can be proud of, in order to maximise success.

Lorna works for a digital agency and works closely with business owners to help build a website that perfectly reflects their brand and message.

* A sponsored guest post is a post for which I received a monetary payment. Sponsored guest posts are held to the exact same editorial standards as other guest posts. The fee paid by the writer is to jump the waiting list as non-sponsored guest posts are typically not live on the site until 8-9 months after submission while sponsored guest posts can typically go live within 2 weeks.